Wealth management stays strong, Shale keeps on fracking and France feels the heat...

Tax Privacy lies no more

The continuing transition of banking secrecy becoming more open, continued last week, as Luxembourg, the British territory of Bermuda and Chiefs of Uni Credit began a mixture of transitioning towards a mixture of openness towards taxation figures, and bank balances.

The Austrian chancellor though is going one step further. He has been given approval to negotiate with the US a tax centred upon foreign bank account holdings. More centered towards account holders in the US, it will most likely be a two part situation for EU member states also. Austria is also signing up with the US to a mutual administrative assistance in regards to tax matters.

The movement is a combination of pressures implemented from the EU and US. Allowing for tracking of financial intermediaries that can involved in a rouge transactions, to increasing the strain on beating tax avoidance. Obviously a growing concern for large investors, though that hasn't put them off too much...

Regardless of this big shake up, wealth management and private banking are still on the rise. The likes of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are preferring to have a stickier type of deposit holder, where reserves are less volatile than those entwined within their investment arms.

As all these changes for reform, glide out of the former Habsburg empire, from neighbouring italy Tax evasion scandels for Mr Belesconi as he loses his appeal for a zero four-year jail sentance, for his punishments for tax evasion. FT article

Black Clovers

Ireland has now been recognized for offshore exploits to a once ignored segment of the Eurasian plate. This will hopefully bring a few more receipts into the stagnant Irish economy, though still striving as the only euro-zone member, that is currently able to repay its debts to creditors and the ECB.

Whilst the ocean floor is being discovered off the west coast of Kerry, in the US, commercial competitive rates of liquefied natural gas have raised hopes for the department of Energy, as the mining of shale has unlocked vast amounts of the fuel source. So much that the US is on high prospects to be net exporter by 2020.

The new energy boom is acting as a boost to the US recovery, as will eventually be reflected within the future months whilst the Brent Crude price fluctuates  The oil price staying firm on still low growth forecasts, and possibly more so into the end of 2013, that the US's energy chat moves further away from coal and oil, in the hope to reduce CO2 emissions and increase its strategic dominance, by becoming less energy dependent.

French woes

Last Friday marked 25 years of the Franco-German relationship within the council of financial and economic affairs. Though a Francois Hollande has certainly realized he and his government may have really played with fire, in relation to their bullish comments amongst other EU nations over the previous weeks.

With taking advantage of trade woes with UK & China, and insulting government figures in Germany, it is only obvious for Mr Hollande to possibly expect a more uncooperative relationship, in regards to their views against the Germans and their strong Hayek position. As well he also needs to manage a healthy cabinet reshuffle.

Protectionism and National independence is becoming more an issue, and with the organisations, such as the WTO, being in a crisis, slowly taxes and tarrifs may comeback into being. Though it is more likely that free-trade-areas and economic zones will continue to exist, just with larger import/export costs.

The beautiful Economy

Friday marked the UK seeing negative growth again, letting flow wonderful politics into a more aching country of why the economy does not work the way people want it to...



















More onto bigger things in the world... Switzerland played host to the world economic forum, where the UK was on the firing line at trying to explain what their position for the future will hold with themselves and the very patient European Union. The UK is currently doing it's utmost to have special privileges given to itself in order that it can remain in the EU without having all the new sanctions put in place that every other member state will have implemented into their infrastructure. Though obviously this is very unlikely to happen, France took a firm root of describing the UK wanting an a la carte menu, where as Germany's foreign minister took a light cherry picking expression instead. Regardless of this the current UK ruling conservative party is leaving this to a referendum of 2017, but what companies in the UK do not need right now is uncertainty. Already financial institutions are seeking possible new bases in Frankfurt for new european operations as the 'City' now looks less of a stronghold for profitable conduction of business.

The US itself produced stress at the beginning of the year with it's comedy styling debt ceiling. The strain of the ceiling's pressure and stress on the markets could be eased if the policy was altered to allow the Federal reserve to borrow above the limit, whilst the US congress decides on which policy implementations to support it. I highly doubt that congress will let the US default on it's debts; it is as likely as me going to sleep in latex after a night out. Possible, but highly uncomfortable as much as I may not want to get out of it!

Onto the future... China and Japan seemed to have announced that they will attempt to build new relations with each other, though in the eye of beholder this will stay continue to remain a brewing cauldron.

What to do??

I had no idea what on earth to write about last week...There was too much to write about!! Instead I made a draft of my views last week which I did not finish.

So the world has turned into the rule of the bond market. If you want to know what happens, look at the rating agencies a few purpose done government leaks and the market speculation.

one day this week at 13.30 the rallying of stocks occurred on the DAX bringing it up by 3% percent within minutes. Though still peripheral pressure was implemented on Europe.

The worrying thing was that the Chinese Central Bank cut deposit rates for banks as the China markets closed negative, possibly showing a new landmine that could go off on the already fuel leaking world market.

Still I think one kind of cranky positive result that has come out this week so far is that the UK economy doesn't seem to be needing to fear the rating agencies for the time being only the Strike currently occurring which is seeing huge amounts of public Sector workers affect the growth of the UK economy.